1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tube connection assembly for connecting hoses or pipes that carry fluids.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional, a tube connection assembly has been known in JP-A-6-50482. The tube connection assembly has interposed a mating member between a male member and a female member that are connected to pipes or hoses, to connect together the male member and the female member. The mating member is formed by bending, for example, a C-shaped steel wire, or the like, and attaching to the outer peripheral part of a male member, which is circular in its cross-section. When the male member is inserted into the female member in order to connect the male member and the female member, the mating member, fastened to the outer periphery of the male member, is compressed by the inner wall of the female member, and then expands in the radial direction when a mating groove that is formed on the inner peripheral part of the female member is reached, causing the male member and the female member to be locked together by the mating member.
However, in the conventional tube connection assembly, a complex die structure is required to fabricate the mating groove on the inner peripheral part of the female member, causing difficulties in manufacturing. Moreover, because steel wire, or the like, that can be subjected to elastic deformation is used in the mating member, it is difficult to maintain the tolerances of the part that catches, by protruding into the mating groove, within a specific range, and hence there has been a problem with difficulty in insuring a specific mating force. Moreover, while the C-shaped mating member must prevent rotation of the positioning on the outer peripheral part of the male member, the structure to do so is complex, and there has also been a problem in difficulty in the positioning operations.